Help with getting rid of collections?

[kls15]

This is my first time posting here and I would really appreciate some help.

I have two fairly small medical bills that have been sent to two different collection agencies. I know that one of them has been reported on my credit report and the other I am not sure of. I would like to try and get these off my credit report and have done some research on it. The bills are probably only a year old. I was thinking about sending a PFD letter to the collection agengies. I would just like to get some guidance and advice on what exactly I should do. I really don't want these collections affecting my life for seven years and I don't want to end up making any mistakes. If anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you

[gdale6]

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@kls15 wrote:

This is my first time posting here and I would really appreciate some help.

I have two fairly small medical bills that have been sent to two different collection agencies. I know that one of them has been reported on my credit report and the other I am not sure of. I would like to try and get these off my credit report and have done some research on it. The bills are probably only a year old. I was thinking about sending a PFD letter to the collection agengies. I would just like to get some guidance and advice on what exactly I should do. I really don't want these collections affecting my life for seven years and I don't want to end up making any mistakes. If anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you

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Google the HIPAA Process, it cannot be discussed on this board.  A PFD or pay for not reporting for smaller ones would be okay as well.

[RobertEG]

The very first consideration is whether you acknowledge the debt, or whether you need more information prior to considering payment.

If the debt is not fully acknowledged, you can send a request for debt verification, including the name of the original creditor, if needd, and an itemization of the amount of the debt, if you question the asseted amount.

However, a DV must be sent either prior to having received a dunning notice from the debt collector, or within 30 days of their dunning notice, in order to impose any requirement on the debt collector.  The requirement imposed by a timely DV is that they must cease collection activities, including any reporting to the CRAs, until they have first provided the requsted debt validation.  There is no period set in which they must respond.

If you send a timely DV, you cannot negotiate with the debt collector until they have proided the requested debt validation, as the cease collection bar you impose on them precludes any collection activity on their part.  Thus, if moving directly to a PFD offer is your plan, you might not want to send a DV.

[Jerzee123]

i would ask for the collection agency for a PAY FOR DELETE ...and the other if your not sure about call that office and see if the account was sent to collections and offer to pay it before its sent to collections and if it is PFD

[kls15]

I just looked at one of the letters I received and the collection agency wants me to send my payment to the OC, so maybe I should try to contact them first and try and pay it?

[Jerzee123]

if thats the one showing on your credit report ,you should do  a pfd to the collection agency .

if they other isnt showing on your report yet i would call the OC and ask too for PFD.

 I kinda ha the same situation with Labcorp, I just wanted this recent baddie that popped up in january --off my report dint want it hanging around for 7years.  I reecived a letter from both the OC and the collectors (CCS)..

so i called Labcorp, they were willing to take the payment but not in exchange for delete --just a paid in full. ... I called CCS  and they were willing to do a PFD if I paid it in full..